Devices connected over wireless networks using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or other protocols typically require a pairing process to establish a secure connection. For example, a user may be presented with an interface to select an available network corresponding to a particular Service Set Identification (SSID), and enter a passphrase or other security information. In some cases, the device will include a display, keyboard, and/or touch screen which makes such operations relatively straightforward. In other cases, the device may include a physical button to initiate a pairing process (e.g., a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) process).
Unfortunately, some devices may not be compatible with such pairing techniques. For example, devices made for hostile or rugged environments (e.g., an engine room of a watercraft) may not include user displays or buttons. Other devices made for relatively inaccessible locations (e.g., on a mast of a watercraft) may not even be viewable or physically touched by a user, making displays or buttons unusable even when provided.
The pairing of such devices is further complicated by the fact that a new out-of-the-box device may not know the correct network or security information used by other devices with which it is to be paired. Indeed, even if the network or security information was once known, it may be changed from time to time. As such, it can be cumbersome and difficult to update all of the devices in a system with new network or security information—particularly those devices that lack appropriate user interfaces and/or are mounted in inaccessible locations as discussed.